


Words Held Back

by SmallTownWriter12342



Series: And they were besties [3]
Category: Mind Blind - Jo O'Connor
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, and they were besties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:08:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29979213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmallTownWriter12342/pseuds/SmallTownWriter12342
Summary: Feelings aren't as easily held back though, and sometimes, it slips through in the silenceSpoilers for Lev's Route Home in Chapter 4 of Mind Blind for Sally's Route
Relationships: Salome "Sally" Alavidze/Button
Series: And they were besties [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2185596
Kudos: 2





	Words Held Back

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't very long, but I realized I was missing this section since I normally went home with Gray, but I had to write something for it! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy! :D

The lump in Andrew’s throat had only gotten worse as the hours had went on.

He wanted to give in to it, let the sob that was building up finally come to the surface, but he could not. He should not.

_Hold it together._

_Everyone needs you strong._

With Nick in a coma, it had felt as though there was a part of his life ripped from the seams, and it was slowly starting to become more then he could bear. 

And in the absence of someone who took care of everyone, gave up apart of his life in order to become his guardian (something that he still had guilt from), it had almost become like he had to be that person for everyone else.

_You have to keep smiling, always look to the positives_

_Keep people hopeful, because they need it._

_No matter how much you want to break._

_Like Nick would do._

And during the whole ride home with Lev he had tried to continue this sense of hope. Try his best to make Sally smile, try to even provide Lev with some comfort, despite not being as close to him as he was in the past.

It was late when they got back to Nick’s house, and with Sally in tow, who was half asleep, needing to lead her out of her car as the two of them stumbled to the guest bedroom in the almost complete darkness.

He focused all he could on moving forward, that he would get her to the guest bed and then go back to his room, but he was not expecting her to fall completely asleep leaning against his arm, and it surprised him just how much he found the sight comforting, as it felt _normal_. Not like the past few hours had happened at all.

Trying his best to repress a chuckle, he gently moved to move his arm under her legs and his other arm behind her back in order to carry her bridal style, her head leaning against his shoulder, her curly red hair tickling the side of his neck.

But he failed to realize that having her this close to him in this way would make his heart race, the still persisting crush even after all of these years never dying at all, and Andrew was suddenly thankful that Sally was such a deep sleeper, because otherwise she might have been awoken by the way that his heart felt as though it might rocket out of his ribs.

He knew that his face had turned red at the very least, but he tried to ignore it as he came to the guest bedroom, laying her on top on the bed, and grabbing one of her spare blankets to loosely tuck her in.

And seeing that a section of her hair had managed to fall into her face, he tenderly pushed it away, and he turned to leave, already wanting to crash himself.

Murmured words stopped him though.

“Love you Andrew”

That was enough to knock the breath out of him, even though he knew how she meant it. Platonically, as the way that both had same it to each other over the long years of their friendship, with the feelings that he had long kept hidden inside locked in his chest.

Of course, perhaps she did know how he felt, since she could sense his emotions after all. But admitting that there was something there at all was an anvil that could flattened everything that the past thirteen years had built up, and where would he be without it?

Even more alone than he felt now.

_Being her friend is enough._

_It doesn’t have to be more than that._

But yet…

Regardless of all it all, he still said those words in return, even though he knew that it fell on deaf ears.

“I love you too- and I always will”

No matter what happened, they would always ring true, he was sure of it. They had been together from the start of this, and they would end that way to.

With one last smile, he left the room to go to his own, having expected that it would take forever to fall asleep with so much on his mind, but the day had proved more draining them he realized, and it actually did not take him long at all.

But no amount of sleep would be able to prepare him for what happened that next morning.


End file.
